Comminuting apparatus



Dec. 6, 1955 c, BCj N 2,726,046

COMMINUTING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1952 IN VEN TOR. Chrififian:BorntV' United States Patent Ofifice I 2,726,046 Patented. Dec.. 6,195.5

OMMINUTIN G APPARATUS Christian Biirner, Obernburg (Main), Germany,assignor to Vcreinigte Glanzstolf-Fabriken A. G., Wuppertal- Elberfeld,Germany Application June 24, 1952, Serial No. 295,203 Claims priority,application Germany. June 25, 1951 6 Claims. (Cl. 241-81) The presentinvention relates to a comminuting device.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a device fordecreasing the size of particles in a solution, and in particularparticles which readily form a gel when located in a given solution.Thus, the present invention is particularly adapted for the solution ofcellulosexanthogenate in a caustic soda for the manufacture of viscose.A process of the latter type creates many difficulties because when theparticles of cellulose-xanthogenate are introduced into the solutionthey immediately start to gel on their outer surfaces and become rubberyso that they set up a great resistance to being broken up into fineparticles. There have been many attempts to overcome these difficulties,such as introducing the particles. into the solution in fairly smallsizes and such as carrying out the process in centrifuges and the like,but thus far there has not yet been a practical solution to thisproblem.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a practicalsolution to this problem by subjecting the particles to be comminuted toa force in addition to a centrifugal force.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a means foradjusting the comminuting force of an apparatus of the above type.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide acomminuting apparatus suitable for industrial uses and being made offew, sturdily constructed, simple parts,

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists ofa comminuting apparatus which includes at least one perforated drum andat least one elongated vane member located within the drum and beingsubstantially parallel to the axis thereof, this vane member having oneelongated edge portion located adjacent tothe inner surface of the drumand an opposite elongated edge portion located distant from the innerdrum surface so that material within the drum will be squeezed betweensaid one edge portion of said vane member and the inner surface of saiddrum when the vane and drum are turned about the drum axis with respectto each other in a direction which moves the material first into contactwith the opposite edge of the vane and towards the above-mentioned oneedge of the vane, the apparatus including a means for turning said vaneand drum with respect to each other as described above. The vane ispreferably adjustably mounted so that the gap between said one edgethereof and the inner surface of the drum may be set at a size suitablefor a particular material which is comminuted by the apparatus.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a partly sectional and partly: diagrammatic elevational viewof one possible apparatus for carrying out the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken along line A- B of Fig. 1 in thedirection of the arrows.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a circulardisc 1, in the nature of a table, which. is fixedly connected to thevertical shaft of the motor 2 to, be turned when the latter operates. Tothe top surface of the table 1 there are fixed, in theparticular-example,illustrated, three concentric perforated drums 3, 4,and 5, each of which has a central vertical axis coincident with theturning axis of table 1. A bladed structure 6 is fixed to the center oftable 1 on the top surface thereof within the innermost perforated drum3.

Mounted on the apparatus over the drums is a'stationary supporting plate8 which has fixedly connected thereto a plurality of elongated vanemembers "7 which extend in a direction parallelto the turning axis oftable 1 and which are distributed about the inner surfaces of the drums3., 4, and 5 in the manner clearlyillustrated in Figure-2. Each of thesevane. members 7 includes one elongated edge portion located adjacent toan inner drumsurface and an opposite edge portion located distant fromthis inner drum surface, these edge portions of each vane member 7having a pointed cross-section and respectively extending in oppositedirections from the intermediate part of vane member 7, as is clearlyapparent from Figure 2.

Asis clearly illustrated in Figure l, the vane members 7 includeupwardly extending threaded parts which, respectively pass throughapertures in the plate 8 andwhich are fixed to the latter by nuts whichengage these threaded parts and are located on the top side of plate 8.As is evident from Figure 1, a supply duct structure-is removablymounted on an outlet duct structure 9, so that when thissupply ductstructure is removed, the above-mentioned nuts are accessible and may beloosened to adjust the angular position of the vanes 7 so that the gapsbetween the same and the perforated drums may be set to most suitablycomminute a given material.

Material to be comminuted is fed to the apparatus through this supplyduct structure in the: direction of the arrow shown at the top left ofFigure 1 The material falls to the space within the innermost perforateddrum 3, and the rotation of table 1 in the direction of thearrow shownin Figure 2 causes the blades of structure 6' to throw the materialoutwardly toward the perforated drum 3 so that the material is in partcomminuted by this centrifugal force and the centrifugal force of therotating drums 3, 4 and 5, the material passing successively through thedrums 3, 4, and 5 and being received in the hollow annular casing of thedischarge structure 9 which is provided with a bottom outlet shown atthe left .of Figure 1 and delivering material in the direction of, thearrow shown adjacent to the outlet of structure 9.

The vanes 7 cause the material to be comminuted with a force in additionto the above-mentioned centrifugal force, so that the disclosedapparatus is particularly for the comminution of materials which havethus far been very difficult to successfully break up because of thefact that they gel very quickly on their outer surfaces. It is evidentfrom Fig. 2 that as the table 1 turns with the drums 3, 4, and 5 in thedirection of the arrow shown in Figure 2, the material located next tothe inner surfaces of the drums will be forced through the gaps betweenthese inner drum surfaces and the vane members 7 and will be therebysqueezed through the perforations of the drums so that an exceedinglystrong comminuting action augmenting that produced by the centrifugalforce is provided.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful application in other types ofcomminuting apparatus differing from the types described above.

While I have illustrated and described the invention as embodied incomminuting apparatus adapted to cornminute material by a force inaddition to a centrifugal force, I do not intend to be limited to thedetails shown, since various modifications and structural changes may bemade without departing in any way from the spirit of my invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofmy invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adaptit for various applications without omitting features that, from thestandpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics ofthe generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, suchadaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within themeaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for comminuting particles in suspension in a liquid,comprising, in combination a plate; turning means connected to one sideof said plate for rotating the latter in one direction about apredetermined axis normal to said plate; a perforated cylinder having asmooth inner surface and having its axis coincident with saidpredetermined axis, said cylinder being open at one end and fixed at itsopposite end to the side of said plate opposite from said one sidethereof so that said cylinder turns about said predetermined axis insaid one direction together with said plate; a plurality of elongatedvanes extending into said cylinder through said one end thereof almostup to said plate, being parallel to and distributed about saidpredetermined axis, and being located adjacent said smooth inner surfaceof said perforated cylinder, said vanes each being of a substantiallyS-shaped cross section and each having opposite, elongated leading andtrailing edge portions of substantially pointed cross section whichrespectively lead and trail with respect to said one direction ofrotation of said plate and cylinder so that during rotation of thelatter in said one direction each element of said cylinder locatedopposite a leading edge portion of each vane moves toward the trailingedge portion of each vane, said trailing edge portions of said vanesbeing located closely adjacent to said inner smooth surface of 1 saidcylinder and said leading edge portions of said vanes being locateddistant from said inner surface of said cylinder so that during rotationof the latter in said one direction particles in suspension in a liquidin said cylinder will be moved toward the trailing edge portions of saidvanes between the latter and said cylinder to be forced through theperforations of said cylinder; stationary support means fixed to saidvanes for maintaining the latter stationary during rotation of saidcylinder and plate; and conduit means communicating with the interior ofsaid cylinder for leading a liquid having particles in suspensiontherein to the interior of said cylinder and communicating with theexterior of said cylinder for leading the liquid with the comminutedparticles in suspension therein away from said cylinder.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein a means for centrifugallymoving a liquid with particles in suspension therein outwardly away fromsaid predetermined axis is fixed to said plate for rotation therewithand is located within said cylinder.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and wherein an adjusting means isoperatively connected to said vanes for adjusting the gap between thetrailing edge portions thereof and said inner surface of said cylinder.

4. Apparatus for comminuting particles in suspension in a liquid,comprising, in combination, a plate; turning means connected to one sideof said plate-for rotating the latter in one direction about apredetermined axis normal to said plate; a plurality of concentricperforated cylinders having smooth inner surfaces and having their axescoincident with each other and with said predetermined axis, saidcylinders being open at one end and fixed at their opposite ends to theside of said plate opposite from said one side thereof so that saidcylinders turn about said predetermined axis in said one directiontogether with said plate, the sizes of the perforations of saidcylinders varying inversely with the diameters thereof so that theinnermost of said cylinders has perforations larger than theperforations of the remaining cylinders while the outermost of saidcylinders has perforations smaller than those of the remainingcylinders; a plurality of elongated vanes extending into each cylinderthrough said one end thereof almost up to said plate, being parallel toand distributed about said predetermined axis, and being locatedadjacent the smooth inner surfaces of said cylinders, said vanes eachbeing of a substantially S-shaped cross section and each havingopposite, elongated leading and trailing edge portions of substantiallypointed cross section which respectively lead and trail with respect tosaid one direction of rotation of said plate and cylinders so thatduring rotation of the latter in said one direction each element of saidcylinders located opposite a leading edge portion of each vane movestoward the trailing edge portion of each vane, said trailing edgeportions of said vanes being located closely adjacent to said innersmooth surfaces of said cylinders and said leading edges of said vanesbeing located distant from said inner surfaces of said cylinders so thatduring rotation of the latter in said one direction particles insuspension in a liquid in said cylinders will be moved toward thetrailing edges of said vanes between the latter and said cylinders tobeforced through the perforations of said cylinders so as to be comminutedin stages upon passing successively through the perforations of thecylinders of increasing diameter; stationary support means fixed to saidvanes for maintaining the latter stationary during rotation of saidcylinders and plate; and conduit means communicating with the interiorof the innermost of said cylinders for leading a liquid having particlesin suspension therein to the interior of said innermost cylinder andcommunicating with the exterior of the outermost of said cylinders forleading the liquid with the comminuted particles in suspension thereinaway from said outermost cylinder.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 and wherein a means for centrifugallymoving a liquid with particles in suspension therein outwardly away fromsaid predetermined axis is fixed to said plate for rotation therewithand is located within the innermost of said cylinders.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 4 and wherein an adjusting means isoperatively connected to said vanes for adjusting the gap between thetrailing edge portions thereof and said inner surfaces of saidcylinders.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,676,663 Nicholls July 10, 1928 2,416,043 Bucher-Guyer Feb. 18, 19472,507,614 Sarland May 16, 1950 2,573,129 Dulait Oct. 30, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS 430,266 Great Britain June 17, 1935 822,839 France Oct. 4, 1937

